UPDATE: Within minutes of this story being posted, it was being reported Evan Gordon will be transferring to Indiana. Interesting how this happened, since teams cannot recruit players until they are officially released. You knew Tom Crean wasn't going to be happy with an open scholarship for long.
With potential 5th-year transfer Erreck Peck still undecided on where he will spend his final season in the college ranks, a new potential one-year transfer target has emerged.
Evan Gordon, younger brother of former IU star and current New Orleans Pelican Eric Gordon, has been granted his release from Arizona State after graduating this week. Gordon averaged 10 points per game last year for the Sun Devils, after sitting out the 2011-12 season after transferring from Liberty University. In his first two seasons of college ball, at Liberty, he averaged 12 and 14.4 points per game, respectively.
Gordon shot nearly 35% from 3-point range last year and 75% from the foul line. On top of that, Arizona newspapers have described him as a "solid perimeter defender," a trait Purdue is always happy to see in a recruit, and a "strong ball handler," something the Purdue coaching staff would like to see after last season.
The Indianapolis Star is reporting Gordon is looking to transfer somewhere within 200 miles from his family's Indianapolis home, a distance Purdue obviously falls safely within.
Should Purdue try and succeed at landing Gordon, their could be an added bonus. Eron Gordon, his younger brother, is a sophomore-to-be in high school who already has offers from Indiana and Purdue, and will likely have even more by the time his recruitment truly heats up. Having his older brother spend some time in West Lafayette couldn't hurt, especially after Eric has already spent time in Bloomington.
Purdue does have a connection with Gordon, as he played two seasons with Terone Johnson in high school. On top of that, the Johnson and Gordon families are reportedly friends. Purdue assistant coach Jack Owens has also developed a good relationship with the families.
As Painter has made clear, he's not willing to just take ANY player simply because they have a year remaining, but this would seem to be as good a fit as any for the Boilermakers. It'll be interesting to see if Purdue tries to recruit him, and, if they do, how successful that bid is.